In 2022, Dacia achieved a record market share of 7.6% in Europe (6.2% in 2021) in the passenger car market, consolidating its position on the European podium for the second consecutive year. Despite the stagnation of the automobile market, which fell 5.5% in sales compared to 2021, the brand has succeeded and has 573,800 sales in 2022, that is, a 6.8% growth compared to 2021. The year 2022 also marks a milestone in the history of Dacia, surpassing the symbolic barrier of 8 million vehicles sold since 2004.
In Spain, Dacia made 37,800 passenger car sales and therefore registered an increase of 2.7% compared to 2021 in a market that fell by 5.3%. The passenger car market share is 4.7% and increases 0.4 points compared to 2021. In the retail sales channel, Dacia confirms its fourth position in the ranking with a market share of 8.1%, which represents an increase of 0.6 points compared to 2021.
And the prospects for 2023, despite the fact that production problems due to the semiconductor crisis are not expected to be overcome for at least the second half of the year, are even better. According to Francisco Hidalgo, CEO of Dacia Spain the entry into operation of the new Low Emission Zones in cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants can give a further boost to your sales. «At Dacia, thanks to LPG and the Spring electric model, we have the most accessible ECO range, so people who have an already very old car, who financially cannot afford a high-priced hybrid or electric model, and who at the same time need to have access to the city center, have the possibility of changing their most polluting cars for new, more efficient ones«.
The manager precisely hopes that LPG models will be increasingly in demand, since “they are cars that use a less polluting fuel, with fewer CO2 and particulate emissions, and have or will have the ECO badge for a long time.” the DGT that allows seamless access to LEZs«. Another of the advantages of this type of fuel is its price, which »in the midst of the escalation of gasoline and diesel prices has been maintained, representing very considerable savings«.
Regarding the brand, Hidalgo defends that it has moved away from the “low cost” concept, because “whoever goes to a dealership thinking that a Dacia is a 5,000-euro car is going to be in for a surprise. The prices are no longer those, but nevertheless our cars have achieved a very good balance between price and product quality«. The average price of a Dacia in Spain is around 14,000 euros (without applying taxes), although “most of the customers who enter the dealership, even thinking about that 5,000-euro Dacia, in the end opt for the most expensive finishes. top of the range.”
Francisco Hidalgo, in the background, during the presentation of Dacia results
Thus, 70-80% of sales are precisely from the most complete finishes, with some exceptions such as the Duster model, since “there are many people who want it as an SUV for ‘off-road’ trips and in this case they mostly choose the diesel version, with 4X4 traction and in a more basic finish”, explains Francisco Hidalgo.
In less than fifteen months, Dacia has renewed its range, which already has four pillar models of the brand: Sandero, Spring, Duster in 2021 and Jogger in 2022. In the latest chapter of the deployment strategy of Dacia’s new identityAt the end of 2022, the four models were renewed simultaneously with the new brand identity: new colors and a new Dacia Link emblem, a refined D and a C connected like links in a chain, “as symbols of robustness and simplicity”. .
According to Xavier Martinet, Director of Marketing Sales and Dacia Operations“in 2023, we will maintain this dynamic with the expansion, in particular, of our electrified offer, while remaining faithful to Dacia’s DNA: offering our customers the essentials with the best performance/price ratio.”
An important milestone will be the imminent commercialization of the Jogger HYBRID 140, the first hybrid in the Dacia range, which will become the most accessible hybrid family vehicle on the market. It also begins to be marketed the new ELECTRIC 65 engine (65 hp/48 kW) of the Dacia Spring, which thus completes its range with more power, acceleration and reprise. Spring also debuts the new ‘Extreme’ transversal trim level which will be available across the entire range in the second quarter.
The Spring has been, according to Martinet “the true promoter of electric mobility, since it has 93% of buyers who access electric vehicles for the first time among his private clients. This urban and 100% electric model reached 48,900 copies sold in 2022 (75% more compared to 2021) and has conquered more than 100,000 customers since its launch. The Spring reaches the podium of the best-selling electric vehicles to individuals in Europe.
El Sandero, with 229,500 sales in 2022 (which represents 1.2% more compared to 2021), it is for the sixth consecutive year the best-selling model to individuals in Europe. Sandero is also the second best-selling passenger car model in Europe in 2022, taking all sales channels into account.
For its part, the Dacia Jogger, in its first year on the market, registers 56,800 vehicles sold in 2022 and ranks second among non-SUV C segment vehicles sold to individuals in Europe.
Finally, the Duster, which in just over a year will have a new generation, maintains its classification as the best-selling SUV for individuals in Europe since 2018. It also becomes the second best-selling vehicle for individuals in Europe, just for behind Sandero. With 197,100 units sold in 2022 (5.8% more compared to 2021) among all countries, Duster has exceeded two million units circulating on the roads since its launch in 2010.